DISTRIBUTION:

The Chinati Sheepmoth, Hemileuca chinatiensis (wingspan: males: 50-69mm; females: 51-70mm), flies in desert scrub in western Texas, southeastern New Mexico and Mexico: Chihauhua. Darker specimens are classified as conwayae Peigler, 1985.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

This species is quite common and flies from mid September to November, with peak activity in late October.

Larvae prefer to eat the flowers and buds of hosts listed below. Rhus microphylla is probably the favourite natural host.

Hemileuca chinatiensis female, Ship on the Desert, Culberson Co. Texas,
70mm, September 25, 1992, courtesy/copyright Charles Bordelon and Ed Knudson.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Eclosions take place in the morning and females call late in the morning of the same day. Pairing with the slightly smaller males is very brief, usually from 20-40 minutes.

Females make their ovipositing flights in the early afternoon and deposit eggs in rings on supporting twigs.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Larvae hatch from late February to early March and are highly gregarious and black in the first instar. Larvae wander and become solitary feeders in the final stages.

Larvae pass through five instars and reach maturity at 53-60mm. Rearing conditions need to be warm and dry.

Hemileuca chinatiensis courtesy of Jim Tuttle.

Pupation is on the surface in a chamber fashioned under loose debris. Pupae usually eclose that fall before the rainy season, but some pupae overwinter until fall of the following year.

Larval Food Plants

It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Acacia Cercocarpus Condalia Ephedra nevadensis aspera Foresteria angustifolia Fremontia californica Mahonia trifolialata Mimosa borealis Mimosa lindheimeri Rhus aromatica flabelliformis....... Rhus microphylla

Acacia Mountain mahogany Bluewood Nevada jointfir Narrow-leaf foresteria Flannel bush Catclaw Laredo mahonia Lindheimer mimosa Fragrant sumac Littleleaf sumac

Return to Main Index

Return to Hemileuca Genus

Goto Canada - U. S. A. Index